Christians and Government

“Let every person be in subjection to governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God.” Roman 13:1

A pastor of a very large church recently chastised his congregation for its preoccupation with and involvement in the affairs of government. He said that politics is a Christian “brain cramp.”

Using the text of Romans 13:1 and I Peter 2: 13-17, he told the people in his flock that if they failed to submit to any governmental authority they were in rebellion against God.

The principles of respect for authority and the need for the establishment of an orderly government are repeated throughout scripture. Without government there is chaos. The tribunal of the pagan magistrate often was all that stood between the early Christians and an angry mob.

At the time those passages were written, the Jews were a rebellious people and the local governors lived in fear of insurrection. Paul (the author of Romans and the majority of the New Testament), Peter and even Jesus himself urged their followers to be good citizens, to obey the
law and pay taxes.

No man can completely dissociate himself with the society or nation in which he lives but
was this allegiance to civil authorities that Paul and Peter addressed to be absolute? Of course not. Why do you think Paul and Peter were thrown into prison so many times and eventually executed? When man’s law is in conflict with God’s moral law and His directive to make disciples, the Christian must obey God.

Some would have you believe that when you become a Christian you must give up your citizenship. I have yet to meet a Christian who is willing to give up the benefits of citizenship. How many Christians do you know who send back their Social Security checks, refuse to drive or public roads or visit public parks? How many Christians do you know who would refuse to call the police if their house was being robbed or refuse the fire department if their house was on fire?

Most of our founders were Christian. When they set up our system of government, they didn’t say, “We need all the non-Christians out there to come in and run the government because we can’t be involved!”

In addition to taking the above passages out of context, this pastor also is forgetting that, here in the United States of America, “we the people” are the government. We are, in effect, Caesar.

Psalm 125:3 says, “For the scepter of wicked shall not rest upon the land of the righteous, that the righteous may not put forth their hands to do wrong.”

The people you send to city hall, the state house, the U.S. Senate, the House of Representatives and the president of the United States work for us and we are responsible for what these employees do.

Would that pastor tell a Christian business owner to look the other way if he or she had a manager who was stealing from customers or promoting immoral activity in the workplace?

We are to be “salt and light” in the world and in a republic such as ours, at the very least, that means being an intelligent, informed voter.

There is no such thing as a value free law or a value free piece of legislation. Every law that is passed represents someone’s set of values and if you aren’t electing lawmakers and a CEO who are promoting your values, shame on you, because somebody is.

Most pastors are overworked. It takes time to keep track of what our elected representatives are doing and important pieces of legislation. It’s much easier simply to make pronouncements against these activities. Fortunately, there are some good watchdog organizations at the state and national level that can help. Why don’t you offer to be part of a committee to keep your church informed? Don’t forget to assign someone to go to your city and county council meetings.

The late Christian philosopher Francis Schaeffer said that if you will examine the laws of a country, you will know what that county’s predominate religion is. For example, the laws in India reflect Hinduism; the laws in Israel, Judaism; the laws in Saudi Arabia, Islam; etc.

What do our laws reflect? We have laws and government programs that promote abortion, sexual immorality and slothfulness and – in some places – even prostitution, euthanasia and the use of hallucinogenic drugs.

Are we a nation dominated by atheists or secular humanists? No. We are a nation made up predominately of Christians. Shame on us!

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7 thoughts on “Christians and Government”

Thank you, Ms. Chastain! I have been arguing all along that in this government, our highest power is a piece of paper, not those rapacious elected officials. You have pushed it one better, and accurately – we, the people, are the highest power, not our embezzling employees.

I also like your idea of a political committee in a church. That sounds like a ministry made for me, although I would have to pray for discernment and objectivity. This I find very difficult with a president (if he is qualified, we don’t know yet) like the one we have.

Jane, I agree . . . Christians should be involved at every level of politics and the Church as well. I think pastors should voluntarily give up their tax exempt status so they can speak freely and be involved in politics without fear of retribution from the government. After all, the Church isn’t a building, it’s the faithful. With our silence, we are giving the left a pass. I do not see that as a good thing.

Well you have hit home Jane. I know there is the division of roads and the one “Less Travelled” It seems that we the Christian have taken the Lesser (easy) Road with no obligation, allowing our duty to country to fail as weak Christians. We must all stand up be counted and hold to the truths of The Constitution and seek God’s blessing on this land because we took a stand.

First, I can not believe you would quote a philosopher, especially after what Paul so apply taught in Colossians 2:8. The issue we are facing is the application of Hegelian doctrine as law. I’m sure in California, you folks have heard of progressives. But have you ever looked into where their beliefs are founded? Progressives, Socialists, Communists, Humanists etc. are all founded on the doctrine of G Hegel (a German instructor of philosophy).
Since we do not view Hegel’s doctrine correctly, its is assumed not to be religion. However, take one minute to look at this doctrine, you will see very quickly it is a governmental/religious system. We as Christians should never accept this religious doctrine. We need to be involved in government. We need to bring light to the fact that our government is establishing law respecting this Hegelian religion. Be salty, be bold, make a difference. We can create laws in this US that are based on our Christian convections, just as long as we don not create law respecting the establishment of a US Government, Christian church system (as the church of England). This is what our forefathers meant in the 1st amendment.
So get out there, get involved, be salty, be bold, make a difference. Stop the Hegelians from establishing their religion as law. Christians should form watch dog groups to engage voters in the law of the land, its our responsibility to get involved, Its our responsibility to oppose in the name of our Christian beliefs.
If we don’t fight now, we will become part of the one world order that is being formed under the Hegelian doctrine. Ever wonder why Communist, Socialists (progressive) countries all wear red and bear red icons and standards (flags)? Ever heard of the great red beast (Revelation 17, 13, 12), One world order? One world peace? One world government? One world religion? This Hegelian doctrine is the basis of this mans attempt at this one world order. This is where we are being taken. Socialist International calls it “globalization”. One world, lead by the United Nations through socialism (Hegels doctrine). One world wide religion lead by the United Nations through the Unification church. This is where Barack Obama and his administration is taking the USA.
Do you Christians want to give up your belief? In this system, you will be forced to be Socialists and forced to be of the Unification Church. or else suffer as an outcast. So now more than ever, Christians must fight for their freedom to be Christian or accept defeat and become a follower of the Hegelian religion. How will you explain that to Christ when he asks you why?